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SCMP Reporter

Non-official members of the Executive Council have decided to give up a pay rise for the second year running in a move seen as recognising  mounting discontent in the community towards business and the wealthy - a group to which most of the Exco members belong.
An academic says this sentiment has been fuelled by the controversy over failure by wealthy and influential Exco member Lau Wong-fat to disclose some of his commercial interests.
The monthly pay of Exco members and legislators is usually adjusted annually in line with the Consumer Price Index.
Under this formula legislators will receive a 1.4 per cent pay rise to HK$70,400 a month, effective from the start of this month.
Exco members could have had a similar rise, but decided to forgo it, the Exco secretariat said.
'The average CPI  for the past year has increased by 1.4 per cent, but non-official Exco members have decided that their honorarium would remain unchanged. They did the same last year,' a spokesman said.
The monthly pay  of the convenor Leung Chung-yin is HK$98,910 and that of other non-official Exco members is HK$61,770.
Chinese University political scientist Dr Ma Ngok said the decision to give up a pay rise might be related to the recent public discontent over Lau's non-disclosure of interests.
'Recently, the reputation of  Exco has been really bad. This might be behind the members' decision to give up a pay rise,' Ma said.
The public also questioned the payments to Exco members, given that they were all part-time.
Last October, non-official Exco members decided not to accept an increase in their pay  even though they had taken a cut of 5.38 per cent in July, in line with the politically appointed officials' voluntary pay cut.
The Legco secretariat announced yesterday that lawmakers' annual medical allowance had been raised from HK$26,600 to HK$26,970 and the ceiling on their operating expenses from HK$1,799,250 to HK$1,824,440 a year.
Democratic Party vice-chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing, who is seeking a review of lawmakers' pay, said the secretariat was studying the pay level of lawmakers in Hong Kong and elsewhere, and the related operation costs and office space that was needed. 
The report will be ready in three months.
On the up
In line with the Consumer Price Index, this month legislators will receive a pay rise of: 1.4%



Non-official Executive Council members waive pay rise